UW Bothell Alert

UW Bothell will have a late start today. Offices and campus buildings will open at 10 a.m. Classes that start earlier than 10 a.m. are suspended due to snow conditions at UW Bothell and Cascadia College. Faculty, staff and students should use their best judgement based on conditions in their area.

Warren Gold, IAS Associate Professor and Director of UW Restoration Ecology Network, discusses his lab and field research on nonvascular plants that coat the surface of the soil and play vital roles in the Alpine ecosystems of the North Central Washington Cascades. Understanding these cryptobiotic crusts (i.e., lichens, mosses, fungi)—and how plants are affected by them—can lead to reestablishing damaged habitats. Dr. Gold also discusses his fascination with the Black Lily (a.k.a. “Indian Rice Root”).

Associate Professor

B.S. Botany, University of Washington
B.A. Zoology, University of Washington
Ph.D. Plant Ecology, Utah State University

Teaching

I teach courses on ecology and environmental science in the IAS program as well as courses in the University of Washington Restoration Ecology Network curriculum.

My focus in education is to foster students' fundamental learning instincts and innate curiosity within the context of a rigorous intellectual experience. The foremost challenge a teacher faces is not just the transfer of information, but also the stimulation of ideas, critical analysis and an enthusiasm for knowledge. Once those challenges are met, learning becomes a rich, interactive and spontaneous experience for both the student and teacher. I approach the classroom environment as one in which students and faculty alike can all contribute vitally to the learning environment. I have fun teaching and am continuously learning from and stimulated by my interactions with students.

Research/Scholarship

My research spans a broad range of ecological science, but is most associated with plant physiological ecology and nutrient cycling processes / ecosystem ecology. I have studied plant - herbivore interactions in the shrub-steppe; vine ecology and physiology in eastern deciduous forests; and plant adaptation, community dynamics, and ecosystem processes in arctic and alpine ecosystems. My present research includes studies of (1) the ecology and restoration of plant species of cultural importance to Northwest Native American tribes, (2) the ecology and physiology of native and non-native species involved in ecological restoration, and (3) alpine ecology, including recreational impact and restoration and links between cryptogamic organisms, vascular plants and ecosystem processes. I am also directing the tri-campus University of Washington Restoration Ecology Network.